Record Rack

“Mad” is short for Madaline, the saxophone and flute playing wife of guitarist Eddie Duran. The couple, well-known in the San Francisco area, are attempting to make a move into the national spotlight with this initial album on their own label (available in record stores or via the Web site https://www.fivespot.com).

Duran, 73, is a veteran of the Bay Area scene, with credits that include recordings and/or performances with Vince Guaraldi, Cal Tjader, George Shearing and others. Mad Duran--self-described as a generation younger--has worked with George Cables, Tootie Heath and Jessica Williams, among others.

Since female jazz saxophonists are still a relative novelty, Mad Duran’s playing automatically draws attention. But gender is soon set aside in the face of her cool sounding improvisations, which clearly owe much to her inspiration, Stan Getz. In a set that roves from jazz standards such as Clifford Brown’s “Daahoud” and Miles Davis’ and Bud Powell’s “Budo,” to such evergreens as “Don’t Be That Way” and “Besame Mucho,” she takes--and deserves--the spotlight, moving easily from elegant soprano and smooth-toned tenor to occasional stints on flute, with Duran’s guitar providing warm support. An enticing debut outing.

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